It was about two o' clock when Eddie left the bunker. The losers helped Eddie set up everything from the picnic blanket, to grabbing the candles and placing them around the room for Eddie to light later. As Eddie headed home, he went over the plan many times in his head.. I call Richie as soon as I get home, I ask him to meet me at the bunker at six, I tell him how I feel, and then I ask him to be my boyfriend. When he saw his house in view, he quickly ran to his garage and parked his bike. The door from his garage into his house didn't work so he had to come back around to the front door. When he came back around he saw Bowers' car. He was sitting inside with a psychotic smile creeping across his lips. Psychopath. Eddie thought as he rushed inside his house.

He immediately ran to the phone and dialed Richie's number which he memorized by heart "just in case". It rang twice before he heard his voice come through.

"Eddie?" Richie sounded tired. "Why did you leave without even saying anything?"

"Hi-hi, Richie." Eddie started to become increasingly nervous by hearing Richie's voice. "Yeah, sorry about that. I kind of panicked. But, I was wondering-"

"Eddie. I got worried, like really worried. I thought I scared you away."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Rich. But you couldn't scare me away even if you tried."

"Oh, that's good to know. I hope that goes the same for your mother." Eddie could hear the smile on Richie's face through the phone. "Okay, so, what did you want to ask me?"

Eddie's heart started to beat a little faster. "Okay, right. Um, I was wondering if you wanted to have a picnic at the bunker with me. At six tonight."

There was a long pause. Eddie started to think Richie would stay no. Then Richie finally broke the silence. "Like, as a date?"

"Y-yeah," Eddie struggled to control his speech. "As a date."

"I don't know, Eddie," Eddie's heart started to sink. "I have plans with your mother tonight."

Eddie smiled and was filled with relief. "I'm hanging up-"

"Wait, wait! Okay, yes. Obviously I wanna go on a date with you, dumbass."

"Okay, dipshit, then meet me at the bunker at six."

"You got a deal, Kaspbrak."

"Good. See you later, Tozier." Eddie hung up the phone and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face. I have to tell him I love him. As that thought popped up in his mind his stomach started to churn. How am I gonna find the right words?

Eddie looked down at his watch and it read 2:10. Okay, I have three hours to get myself ready, he thought. Then I'll head to the bunker at five and set everything up. Eddie had a lot to do: He had to shower, get dressed and make himself look nice, make dinner for the picnic, and set everything up in time.

He quickly showered and put on a fresh pair of clothes, slipping Richie's hoodie on over his shirt. Then he set to making the sandwiches for dinner. Richie liked bacon, lettuce, and tomato without the crusts, so Eddie made just that. He packed everything up inside a tin lunch box and looked back down at his watch. It read 4:55. I better get going. He thought. He opened the garage door and grabbed his bike. Luckily, Bowers' car was no longer where it was before so it made his way to the bunker a lot easier. He arrived at the bunker in twenty minutes, leaving him forty-five minutes to set everything up. And with that he got to work

It was five minutes to six when he finished everything. All of the candles were lit, the food was set up, and Eddie was there looking all pretty. Well, he hoped he looked pretty. He fidgeted nervously and stood up to the sound of approaching footsteps. Richie slowly came down the ladder and took in the scene.

"Wow," Richie said pushing his glasses further up his nose. "This is so corny." Eddie felt disheartened at hearing those words come out of Richie's mouth. He looked down at the floor in embarrassment, when suddenly, Richie came up and hugged him. "I love it." Richie whispered in his ear.

Eddie pushed him off angrily. "You asshole!" Richie just laughed and plopped down on the blanket.

They ate and talked for what seemed like hours. Eddie patiently waited for the right moment, not wanting to rush things. When the time came, he took a deep breath and started.

"Richie," He said nervously, looking up at the raven haired boy. "There's a reason I brought you down here."

"And what's that, Dr. K?" Richie asked in his stupid British accent, batting his long eyelashes at Eddie.

Eddie rolled his eyes and continued. "Well I was thinking about last night," He saw Richie visibly wince. "And what you said."

Richie leaned forward out of anticipation.

"I-" Eddie's breath started to run thin and he looked down at his fidgeting fingers. "I do, too. I love you, Richie. Even though you tease me a lot and make me embarrassed, I countdown the seconds until I can see you again. All the losers are great, but you're the only one who can actually make me forget about every fucked up thing I've been through. You're the only person who makes me feel like I'm not a loser."

He looked back up and saw Richie's smug smile. He rolled his eyes again and looked away. "So, I was wondering. Would you want to be my-"

"Yes." Richie leaned in and kissed Eddie excitedly. Eddie smiled against Richie's lips causing him to smile back.

Eddie pulled away with his hand still resting on Richie's thigh. "You knew what I was going to say?"

"No," Richie shrugged nonchalantly. "But whatever you were going to say, I would want to do it either way."

Eddie smiled and leaned into Richie's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his shoulders in the process. Richie wrapped his arms around Eddie's lower back, pulling him closer towards him. "Good."

They stayed cuddling with each other in the bunker till it started to lightly rain. Richie was half-asleep when Eddie nudged him, signally it was time for them to go. Eddie blew out all the candles while Richie rolled up the blanket and put it back on the shelf where it usually was. They slowly made their way up the ladder, tired from the night before still. As they were walking  in the rain towards their bikes, Richie grabbed Eddie's hand and laced his fingers in his. Eddie's heartbeat quickened as he intertwined his fingers with Richie's. They walked their bikes on either side of them, fingers still locked in each other's.

When they reached the edge of the forest they both let go in fear of someone seeing them. "Wanna come over to my house and sleepover?" Eddie asked, both hands on his bike handles now.

"Yeah, sure." Richie said. "As long as I get to sleep in your mom's bed with her." Eddie punched Richie in the arm and Richie just laughed. He always laughs. He thought.

All of the sudden Richie was pushed over by an unseen force into the wet grass of the park. "Holy shit!" Eddie gasped and ran towards him, only to be pulled back by another person. The sun was nearly gone so it was hard to see. Then, there he was.

Bowers. Eddie ground his teeth. "I told you you couldn't run." He said with a demonic smile.

"Fuck off, Bowers!" Richie yelled. Bowers looked over with such a look in his eyes, it almost wasn't human. He punched Richie in the face so hard, it instantly knocked him out.

"Richie!" Eddie cried and tried to struggle out of his captivator's grasp but it was too strong. He looked up at Bowers. "You're a monster."

"And you're a fag who can't stand to see his little 'boyfriend' hurt." Henry spat. He spotted Richie trying getting up and kicked him in the face, knocking him back down. "Have fun in bed tonight losers. Let's go, Patrick."

Eddie was released and immediately ran over to Richie, slipping on the wet floor underneath them. He started sobbing just by the sight of Richie's bloody and bruised face. How do you still look so handsome? He thought. He quickly sat down and started shaking Richie awake. When he saw Richie's eyes flutter open, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come on, Rich," Eddie said softly. "We gotta get you out of here fast."

They stumbled into the front door after thirty minutes of struggling to walk. Fortunately, Eddie's mom was asleep on her chair with the television on. Eddie practically carried Richie to his room, which was hard considering how heavy he was. He sat Richie up against his headboard on his bed gently.

He briskly went over to his drawer of medical supplies, despite being soaking wet, and took out bandages. He started to place them on the massive cut on Richie's face when his hand reached up and stopped Eddie's.

"Eddie, look," Richie started to say with a sad look in his eyes. "If us being together is gonna cause this much trouble, then maybe we shouldn't date. I'll love you from afar. How about that?" Richie finished with a weak smile.

"No!" Eddie snapped, continuing to put the bandage on Richie's face despite Richie batting his hand away. "We can't give them what they want!"

"If it means you not getting hurt, then I'm afraid we have to. I love you, Eddie, but I don't want you in danger."

"Who cares if I get hurt?" Eddie asked, his eyes burning with tears.

"I do, dumbass. And what will happen when you come home to your mom all fucked up? She'll never let you back outside. I'm sorry, Eddie, but this is how it has to be." 

With that, Richie got up and walked to the window. He opened it and stepped out onto the street, leaving Eddie all alone in his room with his emotions.

a/n: holy shit that was a long chapter  ! let me know what you guys think of the story in the comments pls :)